Teaching Programming To A Highly Motivated Beginner

I reflect on my experiences teaching computer programming to a smart and motivated entrepreneur who had no prior programming experience. Within six to nine months, my student was able to build a full-featured web application and develop the ability to seek out and learn advanced material on his own, thereby leaving me unemployed but very proud!

Introduction

For the past nine months, I have been teaching programming to Brian
Goler, a veteran San Francisco Bay
Area entrepreneur with an extensive background in marketing, sales, and
product development, but no prior programming experience. Within a few months,
he was able to build SwearBuy, a web application
where people can share reviews of products that they love.

More importantly, he gained the ability to seek out and learn more advanced
technical material on his own. My biggest contribution was guiding him over
the hurdles that usually demoralize beginners. This article is a
retrospective of my teaching experiences.